Former Chelsea midfielder Danny Drinkwater has made an honest admission regarding his unsuccessful spell at the club.
The 32-year-old was signed by Antonio Conte’s Blues back in 2017 after lifting the Premier League title with Leicester City previously.
However, during his time at Stamford Bridge, Drinkwater only made 12 Premier League appearances in a forgetful five years at the club.
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The former England international was thought to be ready to form a partnership with N’Golo Kante, as they did at Leicester, but a lack of game time saw him struggle.
A series of managers came and left Chelsea, with none fond of Drinkwater during his time at the club.
This led to the midfielder departing on as many as four loan spells, from two in the Premier League to one in Turkey, and finally one in the Championship with Reading last season.
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His contract expired this summer, with Drinkwater finally departing Stamford Bridge after what will go down as a highly unsuccessful move.
Speaking to Sky Sports in recent days, the 32-year-old has admitted that he wasted his best years at Chelsea when he could have been playing first team football elsewhere.
He said:: "Yeah, it feels like 'what have you thrown those five years away?'
"If you'd stayed at Leicester, if you didn't get injured and if the club treated you differently. They're all ifs. It's frustrating, 100 per cent. Don't think I'm still not burning about how it's gone. I still kick myself for it. But on the other side, am I going to keep kicking myself, because I can't change it.
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"Can I help myself going forward? That's why I went on loan, why I went to Aston Villa and Burnley on loan, which didn't work, and going to Turkey at the age of 30 - I never thought I'd do that. It's also the reason I dropped down to the Championship. I've been trying to do the right things. As I've tried doing them, something's gone wrong."
Drinkwater remains without a club following his release from Chelsea but has admitted that he has a few offers on the table.
"There are a few offers flying about," he said. "It's a weird time for football, especially when you're free to the market.
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"That last season helped me massively, getting all those games under my belt, and hopefully the second half of the season showed I've still got the ability and hunger to push myself.
"There are options, it's just about the decision. I love winning, so it's a difficult thing to let go at this age."
He was never given a real chance under Thomas Tuchel, making a few appearances in pre-season last year but being sent out to the Championship.
It remains to be seen as to where the former Blue will end up now that he has put this spell behind him, looking to a future with more first team football.
Topics: Chelsea, Danny Drinkwater, Football, Premier League
Nick Emms